PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIATalk about multi-tasking! Taste does it all – it’s a bakery and cafe by day, a Thai restaurant by night. Not two things you would normally associate with each other, but the surprising pairing is part of the charm of this sunny, spacious cafe. Walk in early in the morning and you’ll be greeted by a happy pink feature wall and the smell of fresh bread emerging from the ovens. A bakery in the French vein, or boulangerie, all goods are made entirely from scratch on the premises. Taste turns out breads, pastries, pies, quiches, baguettes, tarts and cakes for purchase and catering – which is a full time endeavour in itself. Yet they still find time to offer a fully-fledged breakfast menu that includes rhubarb and coconut black rice porridge, eggs, corn fritters and French toast with bacon and maple syrup.
At lunch time the range of baguettes are scrumptious, varied and surprisingly cheap, starting with a Vietnamese pork and salad baguette for $4.50 and moving up to roast pork with brie and quince jelly for $8 at the top of the range. The Thai influence kicks in with noodle and rice dishes, duck pancakes, Thai fishcakes and lemongrass beef; and continues into dinner time. Try quail stuffed with chicken, water chestnut and spinach on a bed of crispy noodles, a whole grilled fish with Thai herbs in banana leaf, or a light hor muk seafood curry made with coconut juice. Taste is fully licensed with a solid list of beers and wines by the glass, so there’s no reason not to turn a casual meal into a bit of an occasion.
Sarah Theeboom